Heard several rumors recently that the family that owns the Philtower is opening a bar on the first floor of the building. It will be in the space that is currently papered over with art depicting the lofts. A friend of the family "confirmed" the truth of it last week. Should be another good development for the "Deco District" or whatever that corridor will be called.
Quote from: rdj on May 23, 2011, 03:22:29 PM
Heard several rumors recently that the family that owns the Philtower is opening a bar on the first floor of the building. It will be in the space that is currently papered over with art depicting the lofts. A friend of the family "confirmed" the truth of it last week. Should be another good development for the "Deco District" or whatever that corridor will be called.
I'm pleased to hear that. (rubs hands together)
They gotta compete with the Mayo Penthouse. It's the draw for the Mayo which has gotten filthy from all their clients. :D
The classy places downtown are no more. Even the Summit got dumbed down.
Everyone figures there's a solid middle class wanting to pour their bucks down town.
Someone needs to bring back private private clubs with standards and dress codes.
Quote from: Teatownclown on May 23, 2011, 04:43:15 PM
They gotta compete with the Mayo Penthouse. It's the draw for the Mayo which has gotten filthy from all their clients. :D
The classy places downtown are no more. Even the Summit got dumbed down.
Everyone figures there's a solid middle class wanting to pour their bucks down town.
Someone needs to bring back private private clubs with standards and dress codes.
Just stay in South Tulsa and you won't have to worry about it.
Or go to Ireland!
Our Prez reminds me of many here at TNF! ;D
Quote from: Teatownclown on May 23, 2011, 04:53:13 PM
Or go to Ireland!
Just got back actually. Beautiful country.
Quote from: Teatownclown on May 23, 2011, 04:43:15 PM
Someone needs to bring back private private clubs with standards and dress codes.
I knew you were a closet plutocrat.
Just commenting that taste disappeared.
Quote from: we vs us on May 23, 2011, 05:09:05 PM
I knew you were a closet plutocrat.
No, he's guidos evil twin.
Quote from: Teatownclown on May 23, 2011, 05:13:52 PM
Just commenting that taste disappeared.
Well, changed anyway. I'm sure the fashion you choose was considered tasteless at one time.
Other way around. Guido is MY evil twin.
Not a plutocritan....but a romantic for sure.
Whatever happened to romanticism in Tea Town?
I was just thinking that it would be nice to have another place along that street to bring in a little more life. Specifically would like another outdoor seating place like a restaurant or cafe. It was great being there during "Chalkfest" and seeing all the people sitting outside and socializing at Elote's and then across the street at Mods Coffee/gelato. Having one or two more places like that along the street would go a long way to bringing that "vibrant and alive" feeling to arguably the most stunning street in this region of the country. Someore shopping in the area would be wonderful too of course.
Quote from: TheArtist on May 24, 2011, 08:05:00 AM
I was just thinking that it would be nice to have another place along that street to bring in a little more life. Specifically would like another outdoor seating place like a restaurant or cafe. It was great being there during "Chalkfest" and seeing all the people sitting outside and socializing at Elote's and then across the street at Mods Coffee/gelato. Having one or two more places like that along the street would go a long way to bringing that "vibrant and alive" feeling to arguably the most stunning street in this region of the country. Someore shopping in the area would be wonderful too of course.
Two lanes and diagonal parking would be a good way to go.
Quote from: Townsend on May 24, 2011, 08:15:21 AM
Two lanes and diagonal parking would be a good way to go.
I'd rather have seen bike lanes. I hate diagonal parking.
Quote from: SXSW on May 24, 2011, 08:30:39 AM
I'd rather have seen bike lanes. I hate diagonal parking.
Diagonal parking with two lanes provides "traffic calming" and more parking with the ability to build some peninsulas for sidewalk cafes.
Neither of us will get what we mentioned.
Quote from: Teatownclown on May 23, 2011, 04:43:15 PM
They gotta compete with the Mayo Penthouse. It's the draw for the Mayo which has gotten filthy from all their clients. :D
The classy places downtown are no more. Even the Summit got dumbed down.
Everyone figures there's a solid middle class wanting to pour their bucks down town.
Someone needs to bring back private private clubs with standards and dress codes.
It is interesting to see the change in "demographic".
20 years ago I used to enjoy visiting many of the restaurants and upper-class bars down town, if nothing more than to just rub elbows with some of Tulsa's elite and see the best dressed in their best dress.
I still enjoy downtown, but the demo has changed. Downtown has become far more casual. The penthouse at the Mayo is indeed grand, but the clientele is loud, in many cases drunk, and dressed for a tractor-pull. The same can be said of many other establishments downtown.
I'm not a big fan of dress codes, but I do like it when people take pride in their appearance and behavior. There are still many places in Tulsa that offer a more upscale experience, they are just harder to find downtown.
As to your comments about private clubs, their time is past. The Summit club is a ghost town on nearly every recent visit I've had there. A few piles of old bones still have their supper there every night, but there is no vitality left in that place. They used to offer a "Youth Membership" and I'm not sure if they still do, but I remember the result (back when I used to have one) was that the younger entrepreneur crowd simply pissed off the older regulars.
On the contrary, visit places like the Bistro at Seville (101st and Yale) on almost any night of the week and you will find those missing upper-class folks dressed to the tees, enjoying libations, energetic conversions and behaving as adults.
How do you get these folks back downtown to spend their money on these activities?
Dress codes? NO
Increased prices? NO
Atmosphere? NO
You get what you get based on simple demographic changes. Downtown is now dominated by companies with call centers, support centers, billing, collections, outbound sales, and middle management.
Our push to be a "Technology Forward Community" has been somewhat successful in creating a downtown culture filled with small cogs rather than big wheels.
If you want to find the innovators, owners, and the culture that surrounds them you have to look elsewhere.
Quote from: Gaspar on May 24, 2011, 09:18:08 AM
On the contrary, visit places like the Bistro at Seville (101st and Yale) on almost any night of the week and you will find those missing upper-class folks dressed to the tees, enjoying libations, energetic conversions and behaving as adults.
Have you been there lately? I've understood it's fallen in quality considerably.
I frequent many establishments downtown. Probably more than I should. Maybe my idea of presentable dress is different from other posters.
I don't wear a fedora, suit and tie, or a bright white tennis outfit. I also don't talk gritting my teeth and looking for Buffy. (Try it...grit your teeth and say "Buffet")
I'm not dressed in torn clothing either.
Your Southy restaurants certainly have never turned me away and I live my Springs, Summers, and Autumns in flip-flops. It's our regional dress code, not a downtown dress code.
Wear what you want. I wear what I wear and feel fine in it. If an establishent told me I need a jacket to dine or drink there I will accept that and go elsewhere. There are far too many options to worry about it.
Quote from: Townsend on May 24, 2011, 09:28:28 AM
Have you been there lately? I've understood it's fallen in quality considerably.
I frequent many establishments downtown. Probably more than I should. Maybe my idea of presentable dress is different from other posters.
I don't wear a fedora, suit and tie, or a bright white tennis outfit. I also don't talk gritting my teeth and looking for Buffy. (Try it...grit your teeth and say "Buffet")
I'm not dressed in torn clothing either.
Your Southy restaurants certainly have never turned me away and I live my Springs, Summers, and Autumns in flip-flops. It's our regional dress code, not a downtown dress code.
Wear what you want. I wear what I wear and feel fine in it. If an establishent told me I need a jacket to dine or drink there I will accept that and go elsewhere. There are far too many options to worry about it.
I agree, and again I said I am no fan of dress codes, I was simply responding to FOTD's comment with my impressions. I would however like to see you in a bright white tennis outfit. ;D
about 20 years ago when I used to work downtown the changes were already beginning, however many of the buildings had dozens of offices on each floor flaunting their own shingle. Many of your big business owners had an office there because that's where business was done. Not so much anymore.
Tulsa doesn't' have any "Class A" office space downtown, and for the cost of "Class B" or "C", you can build your own building elsewhere and lease half of it to pay for the rest. Those that do choose to locate downtown rely on an economy of scale and office density (cube-farm) environment to balance the cost. The result is that the environment is attractive to call centers and other high-density employment environments.
This translates into a more casual environment for the establishments downtown.
As a society we've changed our additudes about dress and what is appropriate. Most of us like casual when we go out even to more upscale places. People will dress up for a benefit, wedding, the opera/symphony but are less likely to do so just to eat of get drinks.
I love the mayo penthouse..agreed that the crowd gets loud and rowdy as the night wears on.
Can't wait to see a new venture on Boston Ave. Hopefully as more new places open the existing places will rethink their hours and stay open later.
I wear a suit to work every day, and you can trust me when I say that Tulsa is far from formal these days. But really it's the American business environment that's far from formal. For guys, throw on some khakis and a button down and you're ready to go. Toss on a blazer if you're meeting clients. When I show up to someone's office, instead of me projecting respectability and business acumen, folks inevitably think I'm the bearer of bad news -- either a casket, an audit, or an FBI investigation.
I think that's good in a lot of ways. It means that business is more accessible and democratized, and it means the unwashed riff raff can participate. But of course it also means that some of the glamor has worn off, and some of the things that -- in memory, at least -- ennobled the business profession.
Quote from: we vs us on May 24, 2011, 10:16:14 AM
folks inevitably think I'm the bearer of bad news -- either a casket, an audit, or an FBI investigation.
I think that's good in a lot of ways.
You neglected to mention IRS.
I'm glad I don't have to wear a suit working as an engineer as my father did. I've never been comfortable in one and I believe being forced to wear a suit (or even coat and tie) is counterproductive.
Quote from: Red Arrow on May 24, 2011, 10:22:47 AM
I'm glad I don't have to wear a suit working as an engineer as my father did. I've never been comfortable in one and I believe being forced to wear a suit (or even coat and tie) is counterproductive.
Agreed. I'm a software designer, and our workplace dress is completely casual (think t-shirt and jeans). If no customers are going to see me, and I'm expected to work late nights/early mornings, then a tie or even a long-sleeve buttondown seems entirely unnecessary. I'll wear a suit only when going out to meet a client.
Quote from: TURobY on May 24, 2011, 10:46:39 AM
Agreed. I'm a software designer, and our workplace dress is completely casual (think t-shirt and jeans). If no customers are going to see me, and I'm expected to work late nights/early mornings, then a tie or even a long-sleeve buttondown seems entirely unnecessary. I'll wear a suit only when going out to meet a client.
Well if we're all telling what we're wearing...
Anyway, I'm pleased there's another place for me and the little missus to enjoy downtown.
I wore a tie until the late 1990's. It's nice jeans with a golf shirt these days. Seems it was about 1995 or so when I noticed fewer and fewer people wearing ties. If I see people in ties at lunch I assume they are attornies, upper management at one of the banks, or funeral directors.
Quote from: Conan71 on May 24, 2011, 11:23:09 AM
I wore a tie until the late 1990's. It's nice jeans with a golf shirt these days. Seems it was about 1995 or so when I noticed fewer and fewer people wearing ties. If I see people in ties at lunch I assume they are attornies, upper management at one of the banks, or funeral directors.
My point had little to do with dress and much to do with character and mindfulness.
Have a little taste?
"Man thinks 'cause he rules the earth he can do with it as he please
And if things don't change soon, he will
Oh, man has invented his doom
First step was touching the moon"
Bob Dylan
Quote from: Teatownclown on May 24, 2011, 11:29:41 AM
Have a little taste?
Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste.
Quote from: Conan71 on May 24, 2011, 11:32:05 AM
Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste.
But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game.
(http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGifBKHj3lQdwuGGZImZs6EXIsbA4RrkH4Gcq6Xc3GxLc0-CsK4Q&t=1)
SATAN?
Quote from: Conan71 on May 24, 2011, 11:32:05 AM
Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste.
Don't make me turn this myth on it's head..... :-X
Hello everyone. This is my first post after being a long-time lurker to this forum.
My name is Jeff and for full disclosure, I work in PR for Williams. So please let me know if you ever have a Williams-related questions.
I wanted to respond to this:
Quote from: Gaspar on May 24, 2011, 09:18:08 AM
Downtown is now dominated by companies with call centers, support centers, billing, collections, outbound sales, and middle management.
Our push to be a "Technology Forward Community" has been somewhat successful in creating a downtown culture filled with small cogs rather than big wheels.
If you want to find the innovators, owners, and the culture that surrounds them you have to look elsewhere.
So while downtown might not have as many company HQs as in years past, I don't know if I'd say those other types of establishments "dominate" the downtown scene.
You still have HQ personnel for Williams, ONEOK, BOK, Magellan, Level 3, Cimerex, Newfield, and PSO, among others. You also have several major law and accounting firms with offices downtown. The combination of all these represents several thousand employees that aren't working in call centers, support centers, etc. Most, if not all of them, fully qualify for the "upper-middle-class" demo you're discussing.
If people in that demographic don't hang out downtown, it probably has more to do with the fact that they don't live there, vs. not working there.
Just my .02.
Apparently none of you have been to The Summit in the last 18 months.
The 32nd floor, now dubbed The Penthouse at The Summit, was remodeled in the fall of 2010 to the tune of about $1.3MM. The club paid for the remodel without assessing members or taking on any debt. It was financed through a renegotiation of the lease with Kanbar and cash. The dinner area requires a coat at lunch and a tie at dinner for men, women dress accordingly. The cigar lounge and bar area (which has Guinness & Marshall's on tap) require a collar and nice jeans (but no tennis shoes) to accommodate those attending events at the BOk Center. In the 18 months since the floor reopened I have never visited on a weeknight or weekend and seen the floor with fewer than 5-10 people enjoying a cocktail &/or dinner.
The 31st floor recently reopened after another $1MM+ remodel. This remodel was paid for with cash and no assessment or increase in dues to the members. The floor is the casual floor to accommodate a business casual lunch crowd and those attending outdoor (ie Drillers games) events downtown. Pants and collars required at lunch while shorts (think golf club attire) are allowed in the evenings. The main dining room features a great buffet and a new stone pizza oven. The floor also features a large outdoor terrace on the south side of the building. I haven't dined out there yet, but it is a great view and would be a great place on a nice evening. Both floors have a very classic yet modern design and decor. The firm the board hired specializes in private clubs and is based in Dallas. I believe Flintco was the GC.
The club has done so well since embarking on the remodel that they have raised the initiation fees and continue to add staff to support the increase in business. My wife & I have been members for about 5 years and love the atmosphere. It is our favorite place for cocktails after work or before/after events downtown. A "Junior" membership does exist for those 38 & under. I believe it is $1000 up front and $35/month, but not positive.
Quote from: rdj on May 24, 2011, 11:51:29 AM
Apparently none of you have been to The Summit in the last 18 months.
The 32nd floor, now dubbed The Penthouse at The Summit, was remodeled in the fall of 2010 to the tune of about $1.3MM. The club paid for the remodel without assessing members or taking on any debt. It was financed through a renegotiation of the lease with Kanbar and cash. The dinner area requires a coat at lunch and a tie at dinner for men, women dress accordingly. The cigar lounge and bar area (which has Guinness & Marshall's on tap) require a collar and nice jeans (but no tennis shoes) to accommodate those attending events at the BOk Center. In the 18 months since the floor reopened I have never visited on a weeknight or weekend and seen the floor with fewer than 5-10 people enjoying a cocktail &/or dinner.
The 31st floor recently reopened after another $1MM+ remodel. This remodel was paid for with cash and no assessment or increase in dues to the members. The floor is the casual floor to accommodate a business casual lunch crowd and those attending outdoor (ie Drillers games) events downtown. Pants and collars required at lunch while shorts (think golf club attire) are allowed in the evenings. The main dining room features a great buffet and a new stone pizza oven. The floor also features a large outdoor terrace on the south side of the building. I haven't dined out there yet, but it is a great view and would be a great place on a nice evening. Both floors have a very classic yet modern design and decor. The firm the board hired specializes in private clubs and is based in Dallas. I believe Flintco was the GC.
The club has done so well since embarking on the remodel that they have raised the initiation fees and continue to add staff to support the increase in business. My wife & I have been members for about 5 years and love the atmosphere. It is our favorite place for cocktails after work or before/after events downtown. A "Junior" membership does exist for those 38 & under. I believe it is $1000 up front and $35/month, but not positive.
Food sucks...jmho
Quote from: rdj on May 24, 2011, 11:51:29 AM
Apparently none of you have been to The Summit in the last 18 months.
The 32nd floor, now dubbed The Penthouse at The Summit, was remodeled in the fall of 2010 to the tune of about $1.3MM. The club paid for the remodel without assessing members or taking on any debt. It was financed through a renegotiation of the lease with Kanbar and cash. The dinner area requires a coat at lunch and a tie at dinner for men, women dress accordingly. The cigar lounge and bar area (which has Guinness & Marshall's on tap) require a collar and nice jeans (but no tennis shoes) to accommodate those attending events at the BOk Center. In the 18 months since the floor reopened I have never visited on a weeknight or weekend and seen the floor with fewer than 5-10 people enjoying a cocktail &/or dinner.
The 31st floor recently reopened after another $1MM+ remodel. This remodel was paid for with cash and no assessment or increase in dues to the members. The floor is the casual floor to accommodate a business casual lunch crowd and those attending outdoor (ie Drillers games) events downtown. Pants and collars required at lunch while shorts (think golf club attire) are allowed in the evenings. The main dining room features a great buffet and a new stone pizza oven. The floor also features a large outdoor terrace on the south side of the building. I haven't dined out there yet, but it is a great view and would be a great place on a nice evening. Both floors have a very classic yet modern design and decor. The firm the board hired specializes in private clubs and is based in Dallas. I believe Flintco was the GC.
The club has done so well since embarking on the remodel that they have raised the initiation fees and continue to add staff to support the increase in business. My wife & I have been members for about 5 years and love the atmosphere. It is our favorite place for cocktails after work or before/after events downtown. A "Junior" membership does exist for those 38 & under. I believe it is $1000 up front and $35/month, but not positive.
I've been there several times since the remodel and it is marvelous! I just remember it being far busier than a hand-full of people. They've always had good food!
The Summit Club fees:
http://www.summittulsa.com/Membership_Dues.cfm (http://www.summittulsa.com/Membership_Dues.cfm)
So, just under $2500.00 for the first year, and ~$850.00/year after that, so you can tell people how privaliged you are to be a member there.
Quote from: dbacks fan on May 24, 2011, 12:35:46 PM
The Summit Club fees:
http://www.summittulsa.com/Membership_Dues.cfm (http://www.summittulsa.com/Membership_Dues.cfm)
Some bad typos!
Quote from: dbacks fan on May 24, 2011, 12:35:46 PM
The Summit Club fees:
http://www.summittulsa.com/Membership_Dues.cfm (http://www.summittulsa.com/Membership_Dues.cfm)
"To
inquiry about membership,"
Grammar FAIL
Quote from: Gaspar on May 24, 2011, 12:39:23 PM
Some bad typos!
Maybe with their enhanced revenue, increased fees and hiring more staff, they can get a web person that can use spell/grammar check.
Quote from: rdj on May 24, 2011, 11:51:29 AM
The club has done so well since embarking on the remodel that they have raised the initiation fees
The Cox Cable business model?
The numbers shown would have to be a serious typo to get me interested. But hey, if that's what you want to do, fine.
The old Bill White should be turned into a high rise for the elderly. Just saying....this TYPO's stuff just doesn't seem to have the necessary elements to transform downtown. But the retired=disposable income. The one thing downtown is missing are old folks....
Downtown needs all folks.
Quote from: Teatownclown on May 26, 2011, 05:31:13 PM
The one thing downtown is missing are old folks....
I am no spring chicken. I have the grays all over to prove it.
...all over